Rye Beach, New Hampshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rye Beach |
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Ocean House Ca. 1885
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 Location in New Hampshire
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| Location | Rye, New Hampshire |
| Coordinates | 42°58′36″N 70°45′55″W / 42.97667°N 70.76528°W |
| Length | .5 miles (0.80 km) |
| Geology | Beach |
Rye Beach is a lovely community located right on the Atlantic Ocean in Rye, New Hampshire, United States. It's a special place that isn't a city or town, but still has its own community feel. You can find it along New Hampshire Route 1A.
Rye Beach is just south of Jenness State Beach. It's also north of a place called Little Boar's Head, which is in the nearby town of North Hampton. Rye Beach even has its own special ZIP code (03871), different from the rest of Rye.
History of Rye Beach
Rye Beach has a rich history with interesting stories about its past. Many things have changed here over the years.
The Ocean House Hotel
One of the most famous buildings was the Ocean House. It was built way back in 1844 by Job Jenness. Stacy Nudd helped pay for it. The hotel started small but grew to be very large. It eventually had four stories and could host 250 guests!
By 1865, a man named John Colby Philbrick ran the hotel. It became known as the Philbrick Hotel. A famous visitor, Admiral David Farragut, once stayed there. Because of his visit, people started calling it "Farragut House." Sadly, this historic building was taken down in the mid-1970s.
Connecting Continents: The Transatlantic Cable
In 1874 and 1875, something amazing happened at Rye Beach. A special ship called the CS Faraday laid a huge underwater cable. This cable stretched all the way across the Atlantic Ocean! It connected Ballinskelligs, Ireland, to Rye Beach. The cable also stopped in Tor Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada.
This incredible cable was about 3,104 miles (5,000 km) long. It allowed people to send messages across the ocean much faster than before. The company that owned the cable, Direct United States Cable Company, had a special station in Rye Beach. This station was on Old Beach Road, near the old life-saving station.
A New Hampshire historical marker (number 63) on New Hampshire Route 1A tells the story of this communications station. It also mentions the nearby Sunken Forests of New Hampshire, which are ancient forests now covered by the ocean.
